Sunday, March 8, 2009

OIF Summary, March 8, 2009: Troops in Iraq Find Weapons Cache

DIYALA, Iraq, March 8, 2009 -- U.S. and Iraqi soldiers uncovered a weapons cache in Iraq’s Diyala province March 5, military officials reported.

The cache included 47 blasting caps, 36 pressure plates, explosives, nine rockets, two bags of propellant and two hand grenades.

"This discovery marks a significant step forward for the Iraqi army," Army Maj. Chris Hyde, spokesman for the 25th Infantry Division’s 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, said. "With every cache they find, Iraqi security forces become better and better at maintaining a consistent and comprehensive appraisal of their area of operations, particularly when monitoring historic sites for weapons caches."